Kiki Strike and the The Golden Reign
by Victoria Kathleen Wright
Summary: It's gold. Literally, unfortunately. It's been four years since the Irregulars have had a mission of much consequence. When it comes, though, are they still truly ready?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kiki Strike. Or Ancient Greece.**

**So, I like Kiki Strike. Why? Well, my friend read the books, freaked out, and sent us an email telling us who we were. She told me I was Kiki Strike.**

**I was proud I got the title character, and a also a little apprehensive. I eventually _did_ read both books and came to the conclusion that I'd be very happy to write my own Kiki Strike fic.**

**So, Read.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

Once, many years ago, at a time most people haven't even dreamed of, the gods and goddesses were known to mankind.

However, they weren't the ideal beings we idolize now. They were selfish, manipulative, crafty, sly, and in many cases, unbelievably greedy.

This greed wasn't for money though; it was for power. The one way to gloat above all others. The one way to make others do your bidding.

One such story is that of Athens.

A new and powerful city in the renown land of Ancient Greece, it held a lot of value- especially to the heavenly beings.

Both Athena and Poseiden competed for the title as patron of the city.

Poseiden made a natural spring as a gift.

Athena, on the other hand, created the olive tree.

Both gifts were spectacular. Both were great helps to the people.

We know that the tree won. Why, though? It's never been really understood.

But then again, competitions aren't meant to be understood, not really.

So the reason wasn't closely looked at.

If it had been, though, the inner dealings of Cecrops I would have been revealed.

Oh, he was a great man, indeed. Quite brilliant and morally astute. However, every person has their faults.

He accepted three golden olives from Athena in exchange for naming her patron of the city.

Maybe he had good intentions, maybe he didn't... We'll never really know, will we?

What we do know is that no evidence or word has ever been seen or heard regarding the supposed golden olives. Were they even ever really there? Barely anybody even knows of their existence.

Until now.

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><p><strong>xxx <em>That,<em> my dears, was the prologue, similar to but shorter than the one in the beginning of Kiki Strike & The Empress's Tomb.**

**Read, review. Ask questions, praise, and criticize nastily. I take it all in stride-bows-.**

**Thank you.**

**Lovey-dovey,**

**Toria**


	2. A Death Sentence

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kiki. Or Strike. Or anything Kirsten Miller has a claim to.**

**I like this chapter. It's awesomely humorous and shows how they've all grown up in their own ways. **

**A/N: In the beginning of the series, you learn that eighteen-year-old Ananka is telling you everything. Well, I'm fast forwarding to then, and nothing has happened since the Empress's Tomb.**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1: A Death Sentence<span>**

Kiki Strike waited with bated breath for the stinking lecture to end.

There had to be some law against keeping a superspy from doing her duty because she was in the middle of a lecture about analyzing _pimples_, for God's sake! Something concerning obstructing justice. _Anything._

But no, here she was, in the auditorium of John Jay College from Criminal Justice, listening to a forty-year-old nerd spouting off about _acne_.

She looked away in disgust before hearing a quick, beeping noise.

The idiot next to her who was taking down notes like there was no tomorrow gave her murderous glare, which she responded to by giving him a disdainful look.

She pulled her (plaid black and grey) phone out of her (black) leather handbag as discreetly as possible. And no, the handbag was _not _counterfeit, thank you very much.

Kiki looked at the flashing screen with a raised eyebrow, finding a new text from none other than Oona Wong herself.

_Now. The shop. Code RED. _

If it had been Iris, or even perhaps Luz who'd sent the text, Kiki would have simply ignored the message. However, this was _Oona._

Oona had sneered when Iris called a meeting because the delivery boy didn't notice her new boots; she'd shouted when Luz had called a meeting to try out a new invention that made cats live longer by two weeks. Hell, she made snide remarks even when Ananka, DeeDee, Betty, or even Kiki called an emergency meeting. Oona'd call a meeting only under a life-or-death situation.

Kiki rolled her eyes at her luck; there was no getting out of this lecture, was there? Or maybe there was...

She tapped Jerkface on the shoulder. He glanced up with beady little eyes hidden behind huge frames.

"Hey, there." She chirped, doing her best to imitate a flirtatious cheerleader. "Can you maybe cover for me- I've got, like, this _huge _emergency?" She enunciated yet strung together every word. She'd be able to get into the acting business this way- for a movie that wasn't all kung fu, blood, and gore.

"Cut the crap- what's in it for me?"

_Or not. Jerk._

"Fine." Kiki huffed. "Um, what do you want?"

"How 'bout a date? Saturday night?" He smirked.

_As if, nerd._

"Fine, but if I can't make it Saturday, I'll reschedule it."

"Deal." He said- hey, he did have a kinda cute, crooked smile.

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><p>Kiki burst into the shop, not bothering to acknowledge the indignant driver whom she'd swerved around in her good old Vespa.<p>

"What? What happened, Oona?" she asked breathlessly, her black blouse rumpled and her tie askew. Her helmet was still in her hands.

The stunning Oona Wong was poring over the register in the front and looke up with her lips twitching and her eyes twinkling.

"I'll tell you; everyone's in the back- that's where it is. But, you _still_ didn't need to cause a traffic jam because of little ol' me."

"If this was a trick, Oona, I'm going to murder you." She said, grabbing the coffee Oona offered to her.

"Oh, I have no doubt."

"Seriously. I know where you live."

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Yes, but everyone else can't just sneak in through the window."

"Oh, that's right; the others who _can_ are in jail."

"Hopefully...Yeah, but you know, that's not always a good thing."

"How's it not a good thing?"

"I could have a boy over, and I wouldn't tell you, and you'd come in through my window, even though we'd have the curtains dra-"

"Good God, Oona!"

"You asked for it."

"Not really."

By this time they'd reached the end of the huge hallway, and the duo entered the Oona's office, where the other five Irregulars were.

"How'd you get out of school, scamp?" Kiki fondly asked Iris, rumpling her hair as she walked by. Fifteen-year-old Iris scowled.

_Teenagers these days, honestly..._

Luz glared from her chair in the corner. "Can we get started? I was in the middle of something!"

The girls ignored her. Luz had been sullen and snappish since Attila and she broke up three weeks ago. He'd been cheating on her with this punk chick he'd met while he was in juvie for the third time. Oh, the irony.

DeeDee and Ananka were crowded around a piece of -there was no other word for it- _parchment_. Betty leaned next to the couch and Iris sat closer to the door.

DeeDee shifted on the couch as Kiki kneeled down next to the coffee table and scanned the few hastily scrawled lines.

_Irregulars,_

_I send this letter to you in a time of utmost need. _

_Today, a legend was found. It's very old, indeed, dating back to the time of Ancient Greece. It regards to the old story of Athens. _

_To put it simply, it's a treasure hunt. _

_As you know, Sidonia's been biding her time and regaining her power since she last disappeared four years ago._

_Well, she's back. The government, as I'm sure you know, has been a mess since the people took hold of power. They, though, still will only give Sidonia her chance to rule if she figures out a riddle and brings the supposed long-lost treasure home. _

_I already have my people working on finding it before Sidonia- I may be a part of the resurrected Pokrovian Royal Guard, but I have no wish to see the reigns of power go to Sidonia and watch everything become even more chaotic than it is now. _

_Katarina, I know you're there somewhere. And I'm sure you Irregulars know of her enough to get this message to her. We cannot do this without you all. We may be fast, but Sidonia has more resources than we have access to._

_If you don't wish that Pokrovia fall into misguided clutches and fall into ruin, I suggest that you come soon._

_Dmitri Molotov_

There was a pause after Kiki read it out loud.

"Molotov? Wait a second..." Oona was the first to speak.

"Not Sergei _Molotov_, right?" Luz finished everybody's thought.

"It's a trap!" DeeDee accused, as if she didn't think anyone would dare to trap them.

"I can't believe the nerve!" Sweet Betty bristled.

Iris glared at the parchment as if it'd offended her in some way.

Only Ananka remained silent, finally glancing up at Kiki for her opinion.

"I don't think so." Kiki murmured softly.

Everybody's incredulous eyes shot to her.

"Verushka's told me about Dmitri. He was born three years before I was. She never mentioned his name- she just said that Sergei had a son. She didn't know who the mother was. Later, like all the times we encountered Sergei," Every single eye was upon her, but Kiki could care less as she kept speculating. "She always said it was odd how his son wasn't with him. She believed- well, she had a threory, anyway- that he'd resisted his father. He'd have to be strong; we all know how hard _that_ can be... I... want to go."

Her final statement was met with stunned silence.

"Come on, guys. I have a really good feeling about this. Anyways, what do we have to lose, huh? Verushka and Iris will always be on alert if we need to escape."

"Wait- what?" Iris had found her voice. "I'm coming too! I'm older than you guys were when you took down Lester Liu!"

"Yeah, but can you get out of school like we can?" Kiki pointed out. Iris sighed and sulked, knowing she'd lost.

"So, we're going to Pokrovia, everybody! Cheer up, for Pete's sake. It's a vacation, not a death sentence."

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><p><strong>xxx Hm. I'm really starting to like this story. But not quite as much as <span>Roll the Dice<span>. RTD is my baby. I cuddle it before I sleep every night. Yes, I'm aware that I'm quite insane. Deal with it.**

**Love,**

**Moi**


	3. Reflections

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. Well, at least I'm honest.**

**This chapter introduces Dmitri, one of the main characters. Yes, he's based on Tom Riddle from pop-pop-bananas Rewind trilogy. Sigh.**

**Well, read and enjoy!**

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><p>Kiki glared out the plane's window. Even with her iPod's earplugs in her ears, she could still hear Luz and Oona's pointless chatter. Was it so much to ask for <em>some <em>peace and quiet?

Apparently.

Betty had fallen asleep behind her, next to a DeeDee who was working intently on her PDA. Oona sat across the aisle from Kiki and Luz with Ananka.

They were currently on a plane to Russia, from where they'd meet up with the mysterious Dmitri Molotov. She idly wondered how long this whole thing would take. The Irregulars first encounter with dear Princess Sidonia had taken over two full years.

At least this time they had a lot more time on their hands. College students got much more freedom and trust than twelve-year-olds, even in Luz's mother's case. Of course, Kiki had to reschedule on that dweeb's date...

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><p>Dmitri glared at the guy standing guard over him.<p>

"You know, I'm not going to randomly explode any moment now, or in the near future." He said irritably, for what had to be at least the fourth time.

The bodyguard looked at him incomprehensibly, and Dmitri sighed. They accepted just anyone into the NPR nowadays, didn't they?

Well, he amended, anyone who knew how to work a huge gun, it seemed, looking at the size of the piece of work in the guy's equally large arms.

_The Irregulars seem to be taking forever getting here._

His whole life, Dmitri had had to wait. He had to wait for his dad to pay him attention, he had to wait to be told about his mother, he had to wait to be included in his dad's terribly evil plots.

When he had found out what had made his father a horrid man and an even worse father, he'd taken a vow. He refused to go down the same broken road his father was going down.

That man had once been an innocent child as well, but then he grew twisted as he got older. He forced a wonderful woman to marry him and bear his child and he'd neglected his son for a long time until Dmitri finally understood to become his own person.

For years, he'd secretly operated the National Pokrovian Revolution along with Mr. K. The man had sought him out and bluntly asked his help when Dmitri had only been fifteen.

Dmitri had jumped at the chance. It wasn't because he loved his country like Mr. K did. It wasn't even because he wanted revenge on Sergei. No, Dmitri'd joined the NPR in order to give his life some semblance of purpose.

He had to have something to do; he'd already refused to work with Sidonia, Livia, and Sergei. He might as well work against them, and maybe keep Pokrovia from becoming a total disaster.

Well, he'd see how it turned out.

He'd found, over the years, that he was rather morbid and uncaring sometimes. Oh, well.

He was pulled from his reflections by the sound of a whirring plane.

_Finally._

Six girls came down the plane's stairs.

First was a rather mousy-looking one. She was on the dark side and sported a short black bob. The second wore extremely casual clothes. Her hair appeared to be lopsided, but, nevertheless, it didn't look unfashionable at all for some reason. The third had a fierce look in her eye that even Dmitri could see from fifty feet away, leaning against a black car. She was going to be trouble, he could already tell. The fourth held her head high. Much too high. Her appearance was obviously Asian. Her demeanor was obviously stuck-up, he thought cynically. Were these the ridiculously famed Irregulars that were so destined to save Pokrovia? And work with him, for that matter?

The next one seemed better. She wasn't very pretty, but she had an aura about her that seemed reassuring. Her hair was a plain brown and she wore glasses. The last one, though, made the greatest impression of them all.

Her hair was a platinum blond, nearly a golden white. Even from here, he could tell it was silky the way it shone in the sunlight. Her lips were a striking cherry red that stood out from the rest of her incredibly pale face. She was dressed in all black, which made her look even more mysterious and striking. Without a doubt, Dmitri knew. This was none other than Katarina Galatzina, or the famed Kiki Strike.

Wasn't she supposed to be amazingly short? Yes, she was petite, but not that short.

The dumb guard (yes, that one was dumb, too) next to the plane spoke to the first girl and pointed to him.

What he found interesting was how every Irregular hadn't noticed him until then. All except one. The long-lost princess's seemingly sharp gaze had narrowed in on him since she'd stepped off the plane. And now he noticed that her eyes were ridiculously sky blue.

They were irritating, distracting. So much so that he hadn't even noticed the Irregulars come up to the car.

The third, ferocious one started. "Hi, I'm Luz. They say you're, um, let's get something straight. If this is a trap, tell us right now so we won't kick your snobby butt later on."

He ignored her, his eyes focused on Katarina. She'd rolled her eyes at Luz's words, but she seemed to be the only one. Did she already trust him? Stupid girl.

And yet he couldn't help a warm, undescribable feeling from spreading in his stomach. Oh, God.

He wondered subconsciously why he hadn't spoken yet. Maybe it was because of that lump in his throat. Or maybe it was that she was absolutely _captivating_.

Her face, which he had thought completely and flawlessly pale before, was lightly dusted with freckles. Her eyes were trained solely on his. And he could see a slight smirk playing on her lips. He tore his eyes away from her.

With the air of someone who found himself amongst his inferiors, he wordlessly passed the copy of the riddle to the outspoken Luz. She read the words he'd memorised a while ago:

_At a time that will now seem dead to you,_

_A covered secret, the absolute truth_

_Was unkown to most_

_Was not seen for a while_

_But will one day become the treasure_

_Of a nation worthwhile._

_Without the dark will lead_

_Forces full of greed,_

_They will ruin the wonder_

_And the pleas of the peoples._

_That day there will be few who must race to find_

_What will keep the empire_

_From falling once and for all..._

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><p><strong>xxx He's cute. -squeals-. Okay, I don't mean to say the rest of the Irregulars are ugly or anything, but keep in mind he hates pretty much everything, with the exception of good old Mr. K. He has a grudging respect for Mr. K. He's just saying it as he sees it, and he never really likes people. He doesn't even like Kiki at first. He just finds her intriguing because one, she's nothing like he's ever seen before, two, she's the lost princess, and three, he thinks she's <em>hot. <em>He's just so in denial.**

**Thanks to ofirhendel. You reviewed, alerted, and favorited the story. And me! I'm flattered.**

**Anyway. Review! I adore you.**

**Love,**

**Moi**


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